Waiting For Tomorrow
by Basmathgirl
Summary: Donna has been left behind by the Doctor. But why? And how long will she wait for him?
1. Waiting For Tomorrow

**Warning:** this is quite angsty.

**Summary:** Donna has been left behind; but why?

**Disclaimer:** If I owned these characters I'd have made their life far happier than this.

**A/N:** Written in response to the Travellers' Tales Prompt #52 – 'evidence' at doctor_donna.

* * *

><p><strong>Waiting For Tomorrow<strong>

.

There could not be a quieter place. The huge sky was a mass of dark, looming clouds that didn't quite threaten rain but merely hid the sun away from sight. Chill air bit at her skin as she sat there contemplating the sight before her, but Donna was determined to stay put.

Another gust swept up the hillside and onto the rock she was perched on, so she wrapped her coat more firmly around her body to keep what little warmth she had to herself.

Why did this place fascinate her so? It didn't have much going for it in the conventional sense. The railway line at the bottom of the hill noisily punctuated the audible landscape, but she paid it no heed. It was all white noise to her. Instead she was paying careful attention to the nearby road. Hardly anybody was travelling along it now; there had been lots of traffic earlier when she had first arrived. All there was in the slowly growing darkness was the odd set of headlights, and a swift punch of brake lights when they hit the bend.

He said he would meet her here. It had been said quite distinctly, but she hadn't believed him. There had been that sudden wide-eyed inflection that normally gave him away when he was unsure of his reply as he spoke the words. That had been such a long time ago; a lifetime ago. Well, somebody's lifetime, and she knew who to measure it against. And purely because of that she was going to kill him when he finally appeared. If he appeared…

The negative thought hung in the air of her inner thoughts; like a bad smell. Sylvia had started that bad thought as soon as Donna had turned up on her doorstep. "Dump you here, has he? Thought he would!" she had stated smugly. Too smugly for Donna's current tastes, and she had surprised herself by wanting to smack the smile right off her mother's face.

Instead she had forced herself to smile as sweetly as she could, and curtly replied, "No, Mum. He said he was coming back, so he _will_ come back." She had said it much more firmly than she had felt at the time, but that was neither here nor there. She had defended him; that was all that mattered, and all Sylvia had deserved.

Sylvia had snorted before answering, "We'll see." She could not have ladled on more scorn if she had tried. "Perhaps he will bother to come back for you if he doesn't get waylaid by another blonde."

Oh how Donna's heart had dipped then. She was half convinced by her mother's words without even trying. All it had taken was a little bit of criticism and she was right back where she started two years ago; the Doctor's good work totally dashed. So Donna had merely sighed before offering to make some tea. She knew how to make decent tea by now. It had almost been drilled into her. Thank goodness something had stuck.

"Don't you listen to her, sweetheart!" Wilf had said, rushing to her aid. "I know that Doctor of yours will be turning up on the doorstep before you know it. Looking like a gormless idiot, like he normally does."

It had been on the tip of her tongue to deny he was hers to own, but she had instantly thought better of it. Let him believe. It made him so happy, and Donna didn't want to take that away from him. "Okay, Gramps," she had replied instead.

She hadn't known how upset he was for her as he watched her walk into the kitchen. Where was his girl's bounce? She had been so content the last time he'd seen her; so something had obviously happened to take that away.

Sylvia had pulled him out of his thoughts. "What do you think, Dad? Do you really think he will come back?" she had asked him.

Wilf shook his head sadly. "I don't know, Sylve. I honestly don't know. I hope so for her sake."

"Yeah!" Sylvia had almost sniffed. Try as she might, she couldn't convince herself to give the Doctor one iota of the benefit of the doubt. Why had he dumped Donna back with them? Why go off somewhere without her? What was he playing at? She had every intention of giving him a piece of her mind. That was if she didn't beat him black and blue for doing what she suspected him of doing.

Yes, she had strong suspicions. They had started a couple of weeks ago when she had heard Donna throwing up in the bathroom. Those were not ordinary reactions! Her thoughts were compounded by the fact Donna had been secretive about it happening more than once; and not just in the morning. Should she tell Wilf what she had heard? Best not to until Donna came clean and/or it was confirmed. No good would come from dishonouring the Doctor for him like that; and contrary to common belief, Sylvia Noble did not spread idle gossip.

"Penny for them?" Wilf suddenly asked her, and Sylvia had to backtrack on what she was thinking.

"Oh, nothing much, Dad. Just worried about Donna," she reluctantly admitted, and left it at that. She then busied herself making sure Donna had something clean and warm to wear when she inevitably made her way back up that hill to wait for the Doctor.

So Donna had allowed her mother to momentarily fuss over her as she got ready to make her daily trek; wishing, hoping and praying that he would appear that night. She even allowed Sylvia to press a flask of hot coffee into her hands, as something to keep her warm as she waited.

Sitting as dusk descended, Donna remembered the flask, and gratefully drank from it. Just another hour, she decided, and she would go home. Not that she considered her mother's house as her true home anymore, but it would do for now.

The sound of a distant ambulance startled her, and she tried not to think of the poor person it was rushing to deal with. 'Please let them be okay,' she mentally asked, and then laid her head on her raised knees; her arms were wrapped tightly around her bent legs to keep her in place. Perhaps she looked like some weird leprechaun? You never knew.

"Why don't you come in out of the cold?" asked a soft, familiar voice.

Donna looked up to see Wilf gazing at her with deep concern. She hadn't even realised she was crying until he handed her a large white hanky. "I will, Gramps," she instantly promised. "Just give me a little bit longer."

Wilf stumbled about, trying to sit down gracefully next to her. "He's not coming, is he?" Wilf asked, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders.

She tried to stay defiant and positive, but how could she when even he didn't believe the Doctor would come back? "Oh Gramps!" she wailed instead, throwing herself into his welcoming embrace. "I've lost him."

"There, there, my girl. I'd say it's more like he has lost you," he consoled her. "I hope he knows what he is doing," he added grimly.

"Doesn't look like I'll get the chance to find out," Donna mumbled from somewhere next to his chest. Gramps had always given her the best hugs before the Doctor…

She blinked hard to try and push away that thought. It didn't work, and tears welled up, threatening to overwhelm her. Not only did they threaten, they carried out the threat, and quite painfully until she could bear it no more.

Wilf silently held her while Donna howled with grief. The evidence was all too clear: the Doctor had left her life forever.

.


	2. Aching For Tomorrow

**Warning:** contains angst, but maybe not as much the previous piece.

**Summary:** The companion/sequel to "Waiting For Tomorrow", the Doctor left Donna behind, and she's about to find out why.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned these characters I'd have made their life far happier than this.

**A/N:** So many heart-wrenching gifs and polite requests forced me to write this; especially **beachy_geek** who kick-started it all.

* * *

><p><strong>Aching For Tomorrow<strong>

.

The Doctor had watched Donna as sat waiting on the hill. Several times it had been within his power to end her pain by just reaching out and touching her, but he hadn't. He just couldn't do that to her. The Doctor was a better person than that!

He'd already ruined things between them; he was sure of that. Why had he taken that step? What had possessed him to be so forward? He wanted to kick himself for his foolishness.

Oh Donna! How easy it had been to cajole and persuade you to make an old man very happy; almost too easy. Your heart was too loving, too accepting, and most of all, too trusting. Friends shouldn't do that to each other, especially best friends… best friends who should know better.

He tried to shut off his angry thoughts that led to self-recriminations and self-loathing. All she had ever done since she first stepped foot willingly into the TARDIS (and if he was honest, it had happened when she'd been unwilling) was support him through thick and thin, joining in with his delight as they explored new planets, righted wrongs and fought injustice. Despite all her bluster, she had very rarely done anything that was selfish. Instead she had been compassionate towards every living creature she had met; and that had especially included him.

He hadn't meant to seduce her; it sort of happened… He'd wracked his brain to work out why and how exactly he had chosen that path; but all he knew for sure was that he had wanted her for a very long time. It had almost crippled him.

Was that fever to blame? The one that had caused his body to tremble with the cold so much Donna had been forced to climb beneath the bedcovers in an attempt to keep him warm. It had been a pretty good attempt now he thought about it! He had warmed up a treat! Too much so; maybe it hadn't been so good after all. And the kiss… well, that had started off as a mark of gratitude. Yes, it had started that way, he thought; plus a little bit of an experiment. Not much of one. Just enough to see what she tasted like without an evil combination in his mouth.

Donna had laughed at the time, asking him if he was after another detox! How could he say it was anything else after that? So he had claimed it was a very special form of detox that needed a different type of stimulation to purge his body. Unfortunately he had purged his body of the wrong item; or should that be items? It was wrong, that was all he knew.

Not that he was complaining about the actual experience! No way! That had been fantastic, enthralling, lasting for hours beyond his expectations; and a total nightmare… He didn't trust himself anymore, and Donna deserved better. Far better than him.

When Donna had fallen asleep he had worried what the consequences of his actions would be. She had looked so cute and adorable, snuggled up against him, plucking at his hearts strings with her vulnerability. So he had immediately taken her home and told her they would meet on that particular hill; and as he had said the words he had been trying to convince himself that he meant them. But he hadn't; not in the slightest.

What he had done instead was go back and peek at her, keeping well out of her line of sight, or finding a particularly good shadow to hide in when he didn't use a perception filter; which he had, quite a lot. He thought he could abandon her completely; but he was wrong with that idea too. He had to keep returning to her; it was as if he was destined to be by her side.

Several times he had almost cracked and ran to her. Why was she so vigilant? How had he gained such a faithful friend? She ought to despise him instead of clinging to this misguided sense of loyalty. He thought he had managed to harden his hearts… and then he heard her cry.

Held within the arms of her adoring grandfather, Donna had absolutely howled with grief, and the Doctor's hearts had broken. What had she done to deserve this sadness? What could he do to make this easier for her? And then he had heard her words as they were carried on the chill air. "I've lost him!" she had told Wilf. Words that were so forlorn to his ears, and he reacted without thinking.

He tossed aside the perception filter key that hung around his neck, and he ran. He ran to be the one comforting her. He ran because he might have a chance to correct this. He ran because he cared.

Wilf had released Donna from his embrace as soon as he had seen the Doctor appear in the dim light. There had been no confusion as to what the Time Lord had wanted as he approached them huddled on that hill. "Look, Donna," Wilf had whispered to her with glee. All he wanted was for his girl to be happy again.

Donna had made a sound of confusion and then lifted her head as the Doctor reached the outer limit of her personal zone. She could hardly believe her eyes, and expected this to be some trick by her addled mind. Her lips tried to make the shape to utter a sound, but nothing came out.

The Doctor stood lightly panting from the effort of running so hard. "Donna," he gasped out. "I'm… I.. I shouldn't have… I need…"

"Why don't you sit down, lad," Wilf kindly offered, and shifted away from Donna so that the Doctor could approach her properly.

"Thanks, Wilf," he replied, but his attention was elsewhere. The Doctor immediately squatted down, gaining eye level contact with Donna, and begged her to understand with his intense gaze. "Donna, what can I say to make this better?"

"The truth would help. Something like why you left me," she numbly said.

He took hold of one of her hands as though she could anchor him in his stormy sea. "I'm sorry; so sorry. I spoilt everything."

Donna nodded her head in agreement. "That you did."

"I'm not asking you to forgive me, because I know you can never do that. It's just… oh Donna, I can't do it! I have to save you from suffering my attention," he softly cried.

"Suffering? What the heck are you on about? Has this got to do with that night…," she began to ask.

"Yes!" he interrupted. "I treated you so badly, and I'm likely to do so again. So I made sure you were out of harm's way." Two seconds later he yelled out, "Ow! What was that for?"

"That's for playing god and not asking me; you dimnoid!" she fumed at him. "You _really _know how to mess up big time, don't you? Has it even crossed your mind that perhaps we should have discussed all this rather than reacted like a kicked dog? Obviously not! Well thanks for asking, Spaceman! Good grief, you didn't even have the decency to say you hated the time we spent together."

"That's not true!" he insisted. "I liked it too much."

"Too much?" she scorned him. "How does all this translate into liking it too much when you clearly think I don't deserve to be anywhere near you anymore...?"

He shut off her words with a searing kiss that took her breath away. He could sit there and let her think such a thing, and he told himself that had been his only motivation, until he allowed himself to enjoy the intimate moment. But something was off… After some moments he pulled back to say, "You taste differently. What have you been doing?"

"Sitting here waiting for you, funnily enough," she answered tritely. She wasn't going to let him off just the hook just because he had kissed her!

"I know; I was here too," he confessed.

His answer was her face crumpling and the tears starting up again. "You bastard!" she cried.

He hurriedly cradled her head, keen for her to understand his motives. "I couldn't stay away. I tried; I tried so hard, but... I need you in my life. I need you so much and I'm nothing without you."

"Then get a dog," she retorted. "They stay faithful, and will keep you company without getting on your nerves like I did," she added bitterly.

"You are far more than that to me!" he said indignantly.

"Okay, I was your pet human," she conceded with bitterness.

"What? Where do you get these hare brained schemes? Was my pet indeed!" he spluttered. "You are the most precious thing in my universe. I would move mountains for you, swop constellations, steal…"

Donna shut him up by placing a hand over his mouth. "Yeah, yeah, I get the picture. But you're not saying anything about us and what happened! You're nothing more than a hit and run driver, and I thought you were more than that. I hoped you were more than that," she explained in anguished tones.

"Ah!" he exclaimed sheepishly. "I see. Well the truth is, I'm frightened of what I'll do to you. I was… I shouldn't have… I took advantage and… you must hate me."

"Why hate?" she instantly asked. "I'm bloody annoyed, and really confused; but hate you? No, I could never do that. I only hate what you do sometimes."

The Doctor shifted to kneel beside her instead as he took in her answer. "Am I hearing this right? You don't bear a grudge; and still like me?"

Donna gave his hand a squeeze. "When have I ever said otherwise? Especially now when you've given me what I always wanted," she said softly.

"A husband?" he questioned. "When did I do that?"

She chuckled at his confused expression. "With this ring I thee biodamp," she quoted.

He spluttered in surprise. "Well…. Yes… I did say those words." He nervously scratched his neck, adding, "In that case it took us an awfully long time to have the wedding night! OH! About that… it was a mistake. A terrible mistake."

"A terrible mistake," she echoed despondently. "I see."

"Don't cry, Donna! Please don't cry! I can't cope when you do," he almost sobbed, crossing the last remaining distance between them to engulf her in a comforting hug. "I'm here now," he quietly consoled her, placing a kiss on her temple. "And I won't leave you again." He kissed her cheek. "Even if you want 'just friends', I'll live with that." He placed another kiss on her cheek, but closer to her mouth this time.

She hugged him back, giving in to her need to feel his loving arms around her once more. It didn't matter what his motives were, because she could pretend for a few seconds that it had been pure love. Then his last words sunk in, and she raised her puzzled frown to seek out his eyes. "Just friends? When did I say 'just friends'? How could I after what happened between us? I thought you knew that; I thought you knew me," she stated as firmly as she could.

"I do now," he confirmed, ghosting his lips over hers as relief flooded his system. Expecting her gasp in reply, he took the opportunity to kiss her.

Neither of them had noticed Wilf sneaking away, and then heading back down to Sylvia as fast as his legs would allow him to share the news. His Donna was back with the Doctor, and all was well!

In fact they hardly noticed much else beyond each other for quite a while as they traded kiss after tender kiss. Breaking apart, the Doctor couldn't the silly grin from his face. "I've wanted to do that with you for so long. But I've got to say… you definitely taste different to when we…" He added a vague whirly gesture to denote their night of passion.

Donna suddenly looked sheepish rather than dazed. "About that, Spaceman. I hadn't been referring to a husband; instead I have something to tell you. I'm pregnant."

"That explains it," he said calmly, smacking his tongue to the roof of his mouth. His mind was racing away with panic, elation, anger, guilt, and pride; and all squashed in with gratitude. The universe was offering him Donna and a family; and he didn't want to mess it up.

Donna waited a few beats, but he was staying quiet. "Is that it? No other questions you want to ask me? And don't you dare ask me who the father is, because I shall…"

"Donna!" he yelled, halting her tirade. He could feel the underlying terror pulsing through her body, and tenderly reached out to caress her cheek. "Oh Donna! Do you think you could hide your mother's axe before she gets the chance to use it on me?"

With a sob, she threw herself into his welcoming arms, and back into his life.

.


End file.
